Zhongli may have overestimated himself a little bit.

In his defense, he had only just come out of a godhood that he spent centuries having "snap of a finger" kind of power. It wasn't that he tended easily towards these sorts of oversights, so much as the change was so drastic that it was a little bit overwhelming, with so many aspects of his new way of life being turned on its head that it was difficult to keep up with every detail. ...Nonetheless, there were clear consequences for these mistakes.

The Stonehide Lawachurls weren't letting up, and an injury on Zhongli's leg rendered his mobility limited; otherwise, leaving the battle might have been a smart and actually viable option. Surely there was still some way he could get out of this - he ducked under one of the Lawachurl's swinging fists - perhaps distract them long enough to hide out of view, or-

"Having trouble, Rex Lapis?"

The hulking form of the Lawachurl thudded onto the grass, revealing a scarfed figure pulling his weapon out from its back. But immediately one of the other Lawachurls was already upon them; they would have to wait to have small talk. "I'll take this one and the one behind it," Childe said quickly, dashing off in the direction opposite from Zhongli to lead two of them away from him.

Only when all of the Lawachurls were face-down on the ground did Childe finally stroll up to Zhongli, tilting his posture in a casual gesture.

Zhongli dismissed his weapon. "Childe. You have my thanks for your aid. Though, I am surprised to find you here. Were you not returning to Snezhnaya?"

"Hey, Zhongli. I've been here in Liyue on work premises the whole time, and now that the whole ordeal is over with, I'm giving myself a little break to actually take in the sights first. Plus, I'm not in a hurry to rush back and face the...end results," he sighed, waving his hand, "of what happened. At least, my personal role in it all."

"That's a most pleasant undertaking, indeed." Despite having just stepped down as god of Liyue, his pride in the nation was not so easily cast off, and he couldn't help but beam ever-so-slightly in anticipation of Childe soaking in its splendor, like a parent showing off their child.

"As for you, I can see that your retirement is already going swimmingly." Childe grimaced.

"I have a lot to learn," he admitted.

"So what is it that you're out here 'learning,' anyway?"

Zhongli cast his gaze skyward. "This is my first true, simple stroll through the wilderness of Liyue as Zhongli. I'm uncertain as to whether this is due to my new self or due to Liyue's transformation, but the air about the Liyue wilds is...different. Refreshing." Childe blinked at him, watching the breeze gently blow Zhongli's ponytail behind him in a motion not unlike a flowing river.

"Something tells me you really shouldn't be doing all of this 'learning' and 'adjusting' alone," Childe snorted. "If the traveler hadn't been with you back at the marketplace..."

"Hmm... Perhaps you're right." The way Zhongli then brought his eyes back down before fixing themselves right onto Childe's face caught him off guard. "Would you like to be my guide, then?"

"H-Hey, now..." Childe stammered. "I may have just lent you a little hand, but I'm still mad about the whole Gnosis thing, you know?" He heaved a very tired sigh. "I guess it's true that I don't have my hands full, though..."

It was strange, the way Zhongli's eyes almost lit up, like an excited kid. "My thanks."

"Hey, don't ignore what I said about the..." Another sigh. "Never mind."

"I have spent some time in the wilderness now, and though it was not long ago that I left, I feel the temptation to return again to the harbor. All of the businesses that I had given my blessing as an Archon... I wonder how it might feel to revisit, this time as a patron. Well then-" Zhongli had only taken a few steps before his knees buckled, and he fell with a surprised gasp.

"Zhongli-" Childe sighed again, exasperated; he hurried over, guiding Zhongli's posture to lean on him. "Let's get those injuries healed up first, why don't we?"

This was already looking to be a huge hassle...